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Universal Animation
Universal Animation (formerly known as Universal Feature Animation and Universal Animation Studios) is the feature animation division of Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast through its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Founded in May 1993 by Michael Wildshill, the studio is based at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California and has produced a total of 24 feature films within the Universal Animated Features canon, from Paint World (1999) to Paradoria 2: Enchanted Realm (2019), and is best known for its Computeropolis and Paradoria ''franchises. As of September 2018, Universal Animation's feature films have grossed a combined total of $153.3 billion worldwide, with an average gross of $726.9 million per film. Four of its films — ''Paradoria (2015), Imagimals ''(2016), ''Gabriel Garza 2 (2014), and Computeropolis 2 ''(2007) — are among 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and nine of its films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films of all time, with ''Paradoria being the fifth all-time highest in the latter category. The studio has received five Academy Awards, 41 Emmys, numerous Annie Awards, and multiple Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. History In early 1993, Gingo Animation co-founder Michael Wildshill met with then-President of MCA Sid Sheinberg, an offer which Wildshill immediately accepted. That same year, Universal Studios, as well as several other Hollywood studios, moved into feature animation following the success of Disney animated features. Universal Feature Animation was officially established in May 1993 to produce theatrically released animated feature films to rival Disney. John Cohen was brought in to head the new division, which was set up in a building on the Universal Studios lot. To build the talent base, Wildshill brought over artists from Gingo and its feature animation department, while Cohen recruited some of the staff from Walt Disney Feature Animation. Some of Gingo Feature Animation's artists in North Hollywood came to Universal Feature Animation in early 1994 when their first feature was in post-production, with the rest doing so in the following year when Gingo Feature Animation merged into UFA. Universal signed a co-production deal with Gingo to co-produce and distribute Paint World (1999). During the time, Universal owned 40% of Gingo. This partnership had Universal participating in the production of Gingo films in North Hollywood, and also had Gingo participating in some of the animated films made in Universal City. In 2003, Universal laid off most of the employees at the Feature Animation studio in Universal City, downsizing it to one unit and beginning plans to move into fully computer animated films. A handful of employees were offered positions doing computer animation. Subsequently, on April 17, 2003, Universal Feature Animation officially announced they were becoming a fully CGI studio, now with a staff of 460 people and began selling off all of its traditional animation equipment. In early 2005, Gingo Animation was spun off into a separate independent company, promoting Wildshill to remain on board as a consultant while Universal handles the rights to the pre-2005 Gingo library. In January 2008, Universal renamed its Feature Animation unit to Universal Animation Studios, and merged its direct-to-video and television animation unit with the feature animation. Animators at Universal City worked on projects based at the Universal City studio, but also assisted in projects based in the Glendale UAS studio. Two months later, Universal announced a deal with an up-and-coming animation studio named Illumination Entertainment, positioning it as NBCUniversal's family entertainment arm within its feature animation group consisting of Universal Animation. This meant Universal would be able to release as many as three animated films in a year divided between the two studios. Many felt this decision was made to help Universal to establish itself as a competitor to Disney's feature animation group, which consists of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Michael Wildshill later explained that after the merger, to maintain the studios' separate identities and cultures (notwithstanding the fact of common ownership and common senior management), he and the Universal Animation executives "drew a hard line" that each studio was solely responsible for its own projects and would not be allowed to borrow personnel from or lend tasks out to the other; the rule ensures that each studio maintains "local ownership" of projects and "can be proud of its own work". Thus, for example, when Universal Animation had issues with Gabriel Garza ''(2011) and Illumination with ''The Lorax (2012), "nobody bailed them out", and each studio was required "to solve the problem on its own", even when they knew there were personnel at the other studio who, theoretically, could have helped. In September 2012, Universal named former Walt Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider the new president of Universal's Feature Animation division; however, in January 2013, Schneider resigned for personal reasons. In September 2013, Universal named another former Disney Animation president David Stainton as the president of the feature animation studio. In October 2015, Universal named former Cartoon Network president Stuart Snyder as the executive vice president of the Universal Feature Animation Group. On April 28, 2016, NBCUniversal announced its intent to acquire competing studio DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, making DreamWorks Animation a sister studio to Universal Animation Studios and Illumination Entertainment; the acquisition was later completed on August 22, 2016. Projects In 1999, its first film, Gingo's Paint World, was released to critical and financial success; it grossed over $452 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film of the year as well as the second highest-grossing animated film of the year behind Toy Story 2. In 2003, hand-drawn animation was becoming outdated and falling out of fashion in favor of the increasing popularity of computer animation, so UFA decided the same year to exit hand-drawn animation business after Paint World is its only hand-drawn animated film. In 2004, Universal released its second film and first fully in-house computer-animated feature film Computeropolis to critical and commercial success. It grossed $697 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2004. Computeropolis established Universal as the fourth studio after Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and Blue Sky Studios to have launched a successful CGI franchise. In April 2005, Universal announced that it would be creating Computeropolis: A Technical Ride, a 3-D ride at Universal Parks & Resorts locations in Orlando, Hollywood, Sentosa, and Osaka. The ride officially opened on June 11, 2006 in Orlando, in Hollywood on March 15, 2008, in Sentosa on March 18, 2010, and in Osaka on March 4, 2011. In July 2005, the studio released its third film and second computer-animated film M.I.S.S.I.O.N., which had been in active development since 1997, to generally negative reviews but had grossed over $293 million worldwide at the box office, despite being a modest box office success. In 2006, UFA's fourth film and third computer-animated film BJ and Wally, in co-production with Gingo, was released to mixed reviews from critics. However, it was a box office success, earning $486 million worldwide. The studio's next feature and first sequel Computeropolis 2 opened in 2007 to critical acclaim and commercial success, earning $953 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of the year and won several accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and breaking a record as the most profitable film from Universal Animation. Woo La La, the studio's sixth feature film, was released in 2009 and became a significant critical and commercial success, earning $532 million worldwide and winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. The following year, Computeropolis 3, the third installment in the Computeropolis franchise, was released. The film was a box office bomb, earning over $85 million worldwide, making it the lowest grossing film in the franchise and unlike the first two Computeropolis films, Computeropolis 3 was not well-received critically. After Computeropolis 3, Gabriel Garza, a new CGI feature film that marked a return to the Gabriel franchise, followed in 2011 to critical acclaim and commercial success and was nominated for and won several accolades. The film earned $645 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2011. In March 2013, the studio released Quest to critical acclaim and earned over $524 million worldwide, becoming a box office hit and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Universal Animation's tenth film Gabriel Garza 2, a sequel to the studio's 2011 film Gabriel Garza, opened in theaters in 2014, earning over $954 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2014 and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Paradoria, a CGI fantasy-adventure film, was released in March 2015 to widespread acclaim and became a blockbuster hit and winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Directed by Steve Samono and Gary Hall, it was the first Universal animated film to earn over $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue and is currently the highest-grossing Universal Animation film (surpassing Computeropolis 2 in 2007) and the third highest-grossing animated film of all time, behind Frozen and Minions. Imagimals, a Geo G.-directed animated film set in the world of imaginary creatures, was released in September 2016. It was the second Universal Animation film to cross the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office revenue. In 2017, Universal Animation released the third installment in the Gabriel Garza reboot film series, Gabriel Garza 3, on March 3 and the musical Lix on December 8. The fourth installment in the Computeropolis franchise, Computeropolis: The Deep Web, was released on May 4, 2018, and became a disappointment like its predecessor. The sequel to Paradoria, Paradoria 2: Enchanted Realm, was released on March 22, 2019 and has grossed over $868 million worldwide. Upcoming projects Universal Animation is currently working on Imagimals 2 (2020), Computeropolis 5, Gabriel Garza 4, and Lix 2 (all 2021), and Paradoria 3 ''(2022), with three more films whose titles have not been announced set for release on March 3, 2023, March 1 and December 25, 2024. Other Universal Animation films in development include a film adaptation based on the children's book ''Sector 7, Polly and the Black Ink, Mech-Girl, an original animated film that pays homage to Japanese mecha anime written and directed by Computeropolis and Quest creator Audel LaRoque, Bauhaus Gone Bonkers!, another original film about how a bunch of kids in Germany take back their arts industry from the monstrous Bauhaus museum, who's part of a major pop culture conspiracy regarding paintings and creativity, an original film Camp Gottagrin, a film about a boy going to a rustic summer camp called Camp Gottagrin, another original film, The Muckadoodoo Games, a film that is a parody of the olympics, and an untitled film about a leopard gecko written and directed by John France. Filmography Feature films Released films Upcoming films Films in development Direct-to-video films Television series Television specials Short films Franchises Accolades Academy Awards Golden Globe Awards Annie Awards Critics' Choice Awards Kids' Choice Awards